Manhunt in Pendleton ends, arrest made

PENDLETON, N.Y. -- A manhunt in Pendleton ended Thursday morning after Niagara County Sheriff officials announced the arrest of a Pendleton man.

The man charged is Christopher M. Wright, 44. He was taken into custody without incident, officials say.

At about 11:30 a.m., Wright was arraigned at the Pendleton Town Hall.

He is facing three charges in total for acts committed between May and October of 2016. The charges include sexual abuse in the first degree, sexual abuse in the second degree and child endangerment.

The alleged victim in the case is a 13-year-old girl according to court documents.

The judge ordered Wright to stay away from the alleged victim meaning no contact and avoiding the areas near her home and school.

Throughout the arraignment, as the judge read the graphic details behind the charges, Wright was quiet.

He responded respectfully when called on by the judge. He told the judge he is married and works at Tim Hortons.

He remained in hand cuffs throughout the proceedings, except to sign a court document.

He was then taken to jail.

Bail for Wright is set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 insurance bond.

Wright will be back in court on December 7 for a preliminary hearing.

The events of Thursday were a relief for many at Starpoint Central School District.

The district went into "lock out" Wednesday since the incident with Wright was happening within the district's geographic boundaries.

The superintendent of the school said a lock out is different than a lock down and they were able to continue their business as usual, just restricting anyone from coming into campus.

"There was no immediate threat to the school," Sean Croft, the Superintendent of the district, said. "Nothing was ever directed towards the school. Just it was a potentially dangerous situation in our geographical boundaries so we wanted to take extra steps to ensure the safety."